The CEFR

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) from the council of Europe sets standards to be obtained at every stage of learning a language. It also gives you guidelines regarding the teaching approach, the recommended materials and the students' evaluation. This framework is not only used in Europe but also in many countries all over the world.

Levels of the CEFR

Beginners: students with no knowledge of the language

False beginners (level A1-): students with almost no knowledge of the language

Elementary (levels A1 and A2): students with little knowledge of the language

Intermediate (level B1): students with good foundations in the language

Operational and advanced (levels B2, C1, C2): students with a good or excellent knowledge of the language

Assess your level: here!

The ILR

The Interagency Language Roundtable scale (ILR) is a similar framework setting levels as abilities to communicate in a language. It had been developed by the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) and the State Department. The ILR describes five levels of language proficiency, and is the standard grading scale in the federal service.

CEFR ILR
A1 0 - 1
A2 1+
B1 2 - 2+
B2 3 - 3+
C1 4
C2 4+